Suspender fasteners



July 7, 1964 A. E. BARTON 3,139,662

SUSPENDER FASTENERS Filed Nov. 14, 1962 Sheets Sh t l I. ee

l0 40 30 d72////////////////// 31 4? 47 g 4/ 42 J/ /%Z72 314w F25 Inventor ALAN a. BARTO YWMM A Home 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 14, 1962 v 4,. vi! a flag W q A HM Ja/Z Inventor ALAN E. BARTON By Attorneys United States Patent This invention relates to suspender fasteners or tabs, chiefly for use in connection with articles of wearing apparel.

An objection to the conventional types of suspender at present in general use is that the tabs and the like are somewhat bulky, so that they are not only uncomfortable 'but also in some circumstances, for instance when used in connection with womens stockings, they may be discernible as projections under thin close-fitting garments.

The objects of this invention is therefore to provide an improved form of suspender fastener or tab which will be flat and invisible in wear as well as being more comfoitable.

The present invention consists in a suspender fastener comprising a body member in the form of a flat piece of flexible material having an aperture in it, a flexible tab member carried by the body member and shaped to fit in the aperture, the aperture and the tab having registering edges formed to co-operate with each other in gripping firmly an article such as a stocking top inserted between the tab member and the body member.

In the preferred form of the invention the tab member is formed integral with the body member out of a single piece of flexible material, the tab having a portion uniting it with the body member and serving as a hinge.

The device may be made of a plastic or rubberised material, or any other suitable material. 1

Constructional forms of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation showing a suspender tab in use holding the top of a stocking.

FIGURE 2 is an elevation drawn to a larger scale showing the suspender alone.

FIGURE 3 is a section drawn to a still larger scale on the line III-III of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a section drawn to the same scale as FIGURE 3 on the line IV-IV of FIGURE 2.

FIGURES 5 and 6 are sections drawn to still larger scales on the line VV of FIGURE 2 showing two alternative profiles of the edges of the tab and aperture before-mentioned.

FIGURE 7 is a greatly enlarged detail of the edge profiles of FIGURE 5 showing the position of the fabric of the stocking top when engaged as in FIGURE 1.

FIGURES 8 to 17 inclusive are other enlarged details, broken away in the middle for convenience in illustration, showing further alternative profiles of the edges of the tab and aperture on the line VV of FIGURE 2.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, a flat strip of material 10 having a suitable degree of flexibility and suitably shaped in smoothly curved form with a gradual taper in its lower part, is formed with a horizontal cut or slot 11 near its upper end through which an elastic or other strap S can be passed and looped back on itself.

In some cases it may be preferred to provide two or three of these cuts or slots, usually parallel with each other, to provide a means of adjustment of the effective length of the strap S as well as aflording a secure means of attachment. Obviously these details have no special relationship to the novel portion of the device and any alternative method of attachment can be followed.

The top part 10 of the member 10 above the slot 11 may be of narrower section between its ends, see especially FIGURE 4, as indicated at 10 This member 10 constitutes the body member previously referred to and it has cut out from it and united with it only along an upper edge 20 a tab 21 of rounded or bulbous shape with a narrower stem 22 between the upper edge 20 and the bulbous part, so that the upper edge 20 acts as a hinge.

The perimeter of this tab, at least all round the bulbous part 21 and if desired also along the edges of the stem 22 for the whole or a part of its length, is formed with a profiled edge and the perimeter of the aperture in the body member 10 has a co-operating profiled edge.

Various profiles are illustrated. In FIGURES 5 and 7 the edge on the body member 10 has a slight inward bevelled part 30 on its outer face and a larger outward bevel towards its inner face at 31, and the marginal portion of the article, for instance the top of the stocking T, is inserted between the body member 10 and the tab 21, lying on top of the body member and underneath the tab, as shown clearly in dot-dash lines in FIGURE 7. Thus it will be seen that the tension of the stocking and girdle or foundation garment to which the strap S is connected will pull the tab tightly into register with the aperture in the body member as in FIGURE 7, and the stocking top will be trapped and tightly held in place. It will be understood that the profiles at 30, 31, 40, 41 and 42 may be curved, either singly or variously combined. Moreover the angle of the part 40 to the perpendicular may be the same as that of the part 30 and similarly the angle of 31 may be the same as the angle of 42.

FIGURE 6 shows a slight variation in the profiled edges in which the upper part 30 is perpendicular to the face instead of bevelled. In both these forms the edges on the tab 21 comprise a perpendicular outer portion 40, an outwardly bevelled portion 41, and an inwardly bevelled portion of greater depth on the inner face. I These formations as shown in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are very convenient in that they can be easily manipulated in inserting and releasing the stocking or the like and in use exercise a very firm grip.

Other forms of profiled edges are illustrated by way of example in FIGURES 8 to 17.

In FIGURE 8 the body member 10 and tab 21 have plain bevelled edges 33, 43 respectively, the larger area of the tab being on the inner face.

In FIGURE 9 plain square edges 34, 44 :are used and the tab is made a litfle larger than the aperture in the body member. A similar arrangement is shown in FIG- URE 10 but in this case rounded edges 35, 45 are used instead of square ones.

In FIGURE 11 rounded chamfered edges 36, 46 are used, the body member having the male component and the tab the female component. A similar arrangement is used in FIGURE 12 but here the body member has the female component 37 and the tab the male component 47 of the curvature.

In FIGURE 13 the edges are formed with a squared stepped joint 38, 48 and FIGURE 14 is similar save that the lower part of the stepped joint is curved instead of square as shown at 39, 49.

FIGURE 15 is similar to FIGURE 11 except that the edges are bevelled at 50, 60 instead of rounded and FIGURE 16 shows the same arrangement with the male and female parts reversed at 51, 61 as in FIGURE 12.

FIGURE 17 shows the tab formed with the outer part i the stocking top or the like under it but it must not be so pliable as to pull out in use. In other words the FIGURE 7 position of the stocking will be the normal position in use and the stocking will be released by pushing the tab through the aperture of the body part.

As shown in FIGURE 2 the tab portion 21 is shaped with pronounced shoulders 25 and the body part 10 has apertures near the top of the stem, to make for ease in manipulation. The curvature of the lower part of the tab may be reversed as shown at 26.

It will be seen that in all cases except perhaps the overlapping arrangements of FIGURES 9 and 10, the device can be moulded in a'suitable thermoplastic material all in one piece so that they can be produced quite cheaply. They can be made in various colours or in transparent material if desired. Their thickness and flexibility can be made to suit individual requirements.

In some cases it may be found better to reduce the thickness in the region of the hinge portion as shown in FIGURE 3.

It may also be useful to make the device sothat it is reversible, that is to say so that it is immaterial which is the outer and which the inner face.

The shape of the body part 10 may vary and may be of any suitable decorative design.

The device may be of use in connection with other suspension clips and the like besides those on articles of wearing apparel, for instance for holding textile or other material in dyeing or other processes, or for suspending curtains.

I claim:

1. A suspender fastener comprising a body member in the form of a flat piece of stiff but flexible material, therebeing, at least one slot passing entirely through the body member near its top for reception of a loop of a supporting strap, therebeing an aperature passing entirely through said body member below said slot, said aperture having a narrow neck in its upper part and being of widened bulbous shape in its lower part, a stiff but flexible tab member hinged at its upper end to the body member and shaped to fit tightly in the aperture completely about the perimeter of at least the bulbous portion thereof, said tab member being swingable in an are about its hinge to an opened position out of said aperture to permit a layer of fabric to be suspended to be laid over the body member covering at least the bulbous portion of said aperture, said tab member being then swingable in an arc about its hinge to a closed position in which it enters said aperture carrying the fabric layer therethrough and frictionally clamps the fabric layer against the edges of said bulbous portion of the aperture, said tab member when in said closed position lying wholly within the confines of said body member without protruding from the plane thereof, said aperture and said tab member each have registering edges formed with profiled formations presenting walls disposed at an angle to one another, the, edges of the aperture and tab member being complementary to co-operate with each other in gripping firmly a fabric layer inserted between the tab member and the body member.

2. A suspender fastener as claimed in claim 1 in which the tab member is formed integral with the body member out of a single piece of flexible material, the tab having a thinner neck portion uniting it with the body member and serving as a hinge.

3. A suspender fastener as claimed in claim 1 in which the profiled formations include bevelled portions.

4. A suspender fastener as claimed in claim 1 in which the profiled formations include curved portions.

5. A suspender fastener as claimed in claim 1 in which the profiled formations include stepped portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,031,699 Fassett Feb. 25, 1936 2,160,569 Ward -2. May 30, 1939 2,178,055 Stupell Oct. 31, 1939 2,341,121 Schaaff Feb. 8, 1944 2,781,569 Eilertsen Feb. 19, 1957 3,034,190 Magnin et al. May 15, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 887,698 Germany Aug. 27, 1953 445,732 Italy Feb. 8, 1944 OTHER REFERENCES German printed application 1,052,928, Mar. 19, 1959. 

1. A SUSPENDER FASTENER COMPRISING A BODY MEMBER IN THE FORM OF A FLAT PIECE OF STIFF BUT FLEXIBLE MATERIAL, THEREBEING, AT LEAST ONE SLOT PASSING ENTIRELY THROUGH THE BODY MEMBER NEAR ITS TOP FOR RECEPTION OF A LOOP OF A SUPPORTING STRAP, THEREBEING AN APERATURE PASSING ENTIRELY THROUGH SAID BODY MEMBER BELOW SAID SLOT, SAID APERTURE HAVING A NARROW NECK IN ITS UPPER PART AND BEING OF WIDENED BULBOUS SHAPE IN ITS LOWER PART, A STIFF BUT FLEXIBLE TAB MEMBER HINGED AT ITS UPPER END TO THE BODY MEMBER AND SHAPED TO FIT TIGHTLY IN THE APERTURE COMPLETELY ABOUT THE PERIMETER OF AT LEAST THE BULBOUS PORTION THEREOF, SAID TAB MEMBER BEING SWINGABLE IN AN ARC ABOUT ITS HINGE TO AN OPENED POSITION OUT OF SAID APERTURE TO PERMIT A LAYER OF FABRIC TO BE SUSPENDED TO BE LAID OVER THE BODY MEMBER COVERING AT LEAST THE BULBOUS PORTION OF SAID APERTURE, SAID TAB MEMBER BEING THEN SWINGABLE IN AN ARC ABOUT ITS HINGE TO A CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH IT ENTERS SAID APERTURE CARRYING THE FABRIC LAYER THERETHROUGH AND FRICTIONALLY CLAMPS THE FABRIC LAYER AGAINST THE EDGES OF SAID BULBOUS PORTION OF THE APERTURE, SAID TAB MEMBER WHEN IN SAID CLOSED POSITION LYING WHOLLY WITHIN THE CONFINES OF SAID BODY MEMBER WITHOUT PROTRUDING FROM THE PLANE THEREOF, SAID APERTURE AND SAID TAB MEMBER EACH HAVE REGISTERING EDGES FORMED WITH PROFILED FORMATIONS PRESENTING WALLS DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE TO ONE ANOTHER, THE EDGES OF THE APERTURE AND TAB MEMBER BEING COMPLEMENTARY TO CO-OPERATE WITH EACH OTHER IN GRIPPING FIRMLY A FABRIC LAYER INSERTED BETWEEN THE TAB MEMBER AND THE BODY MEMBER. 